Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-09-02

IELTS Writing Task 1 question

You recently booked a part-time course at a college. You now need to cancel your booking.

Write a letter to the college administrator. In your letter:

• say which part-time course you booked
• explain why you need to cancel your booking
• ask about booking a different course

You do NOT need to write any addresses.

Begin your letter as follows:

Dear Sir or Madam,

Student answer (Band 6.5)

Dear Sir/Madam,

I am writing to request a cancellation of a short term course I booked at Northern college in Toronto.

The course I booked was a Personal Support Worker, I choose this course because one of my friends suggested me. And I was impressed as the salary is higher as compared to other sectors.

Unfortunately, I need to cancel my course due to some reasons. One of cousins marriage is fixed so my mother wants me to attend it. I do not want to disagree with her so I am going to India for next couple of months. And I also want to visit India as this is the last marriage of my generation in my family.

I would really appreciate if I can enrol in any online course so that I can stay connected to studies while enjoying my stay in India. This is because I want to keep my concentration on studies.

I hope to receive a response from you.

Yours Faithfully,

Mandeep Kaur

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

You have successfully addressed all three bullet points in the prompt. You clearly identified the course, provided a personal reason for the cancellation, and inquired about alternative online options. The tone is appropriate for a formal letter to an administrator. To reach a higher band, ensure that your explanation of the course choice is more directly linked to the college context rather than just personal advice from a friend. The development of ideas is sufficient for the task requirements, and the purpose of the letter is clear from the outset.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The letter follows a logical structure with clear paragraphing. Each paragraph focuses on a specific aspect of the task, which helps the reader follow your argument. You use basic cohesive devices like 'Unfortunately' and 'This is because' to link your ideas. However, the flow could be improved by using a wider variety of linking words and ensuring that transitions between sentences are smoother. For example, the transition between the reason for cancellation and the request for an online course could be more fluid to enhance the overall coherence of the text.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for this task, successfully conveying your message. You use some topic-specific terms like 'enrol' and 'cancellation'. However, there are some minor issues with word choice and collocation, such as 'One of cousins marriage is fixed' (should be 'a cousin's wedding') and 'keep my concentration on studies' (better as 'maintain my focus on my studies'). Expanding your vocabulary to include more precise collocations would help you achieve a higher score in this criterion.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is always clear, there are several grammatical errors, such as 'I choose this course' (should be 'chose'), 'suggested me' (should be 'suggested it to me'), and 'next couple of months' (needs 'the'). Punctuation is generally acceptable, but there are some issues with article usage and verb tense consistency. To improve, focus on subject-verb agreement and the correct use of articles, as these errors occur frequently throughout the text.

See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.

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